[jaxie]

Originally Posted by Jamie89

Thanks Jaxie. Basically I disagree with the idea of needing to have specific experiences to be considered a woman. People have vastly different experiences in life across all sorts of factors such as race, culture, social status and gender identity too. Yes there are certain biological differences that a trans woman will never experience (and there are things about being a trans woman that cis women will never experience), but I think it's still ok to have those different experiences and for both to be considered women... just different women with different experiences.
The way I think of it is like woman being more of an umbrella term that can include both cis and trans women, rather than saying that cis and trans women are the same, their differences can still be acknowledged whilst at the same time both be considered women in a broader sense, if that makes sense. I think there's a common misconception that when someone says "transwomen are women too" they're saying that "transwomen and women born female are the same" and it therefore diminishes the experiences of cis women, or lumps cis women into a category where they're the same as males, or takes something away from women or is a redefinition, but that isn't the case, as far as I'm concerned anyway.

So yes the house could have been all cis women but if it's meant to explore what it is to be a woman in 2018 then I think it makes sense to be inclusive of India as a lot of people would consider her a woman, and you say yourself that you support her to live as a woman so is it not contradictory to say she shouldn't take part in something that explores what it is like to live as a woman?

You're last paragraph I think I sort of explain in the above, in that I think trans women are part of a wider categorisation of women, and so still fit with this theme, whereas I don't think you'd fit in with a trans or gay theme (I don't know you that well I'm just assuming based on you asking the question ) However as an example, one of my friends is a trans man (born female) who is also bi-sexual, and if he was part of either of those scenarios I'd be in favour of it and would think he'd make a great addition, for example if he was part of a gay male cast he'd able to bring a different experience and perspective of what it is to be those things than most people could (he's bisexual but is married to a man so in many respects has a lot of the same social experiences that gay men have), so even though he isn't technically biologically male or gay, he's often treated as both by society, and bb after all is meant (supposedly) to be a social experiment.

I don't think we are going to agree but you express yourself well and have a positive point of view. You identify me as a cis woman and I am not. I am a woman, a female, that's my gender. By calling me a cis woman you are literally robbing me of my gender. I respect India's right to live as a woman and I hope it makes her happy but that's just the thing, she can live as a woman but she can never be a woman, a female. It's not possible, even with surgery.